Former Ducks Assistant Coach Woods Named Saskatoon's GM and Head Coach

Former Ducks Assistant Coach Woods Named Saskatoon\'s GM and Head Coachfalse

Former Ducks assistant coach Bob Woods was named the Saskatoon Blades’ 6th general manager and 20th head coach in the franchise’s history.

Woods, 46, recently completed his third season as assistant coach of the Ducks. Named to the post on Dec. 2, 2011, Woods helped lead the Ducks to franchise-setting 54-20-8 record and a 2013-14 Pacific Division title for the second consecutive season under head coach Bruce Boudreau. The Ducks finished with the top record in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history and set season records for standings points (116), wins (54) and win/points percentage (.707).

Woods also served as an assistant coach under Boudreau with the Washington Capitals, joining the NHL club on June 22, 2009. Boudreau and Woods helped the Capitals earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference in both 2010 and 2011, including the Presidents’ Trophy as the top NHL club for the 2009-10 regular season with a 54-15-13 record (121 points).

Prior to 2009-10, Woods coached Washington’s AHL affiliate from 2007-09, taking over as head coach of the Hershey Bears when Boudreau was hired by the Capitals on Nov. 22, 2007. In 2008-09, Woods guided Hershey to a Calder Cup championship, defeating the Manitoba Moose in six games. In his two seasons as an AHL head coach (145 games), Woods compiled an 83-47-15 record in the regular season and a 17-10 postseason record. In addition, Woods assisted Boudreau in 2006 when Hershey captured the Calder Cup championship. He became the only player in Hershey’s 71-year history to win a Calder Cup as a player (1997), assistant coach (2006) and head coach (2009).

A native of Leroy, Saskatchewan, Woods retired from professional hockey in 2001 and became Head Coach of the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL. From 2001-05, he compiled a 169-94-25 regular-season record with the Sea Wolves, a span that included four trips to the playoffs and two conference final appearances. On Jan. 18, 2012, Woods was inducted into the ECHL’s Hall-of-Fame for both his achievements as a player and a coach. Selected by New Jersey in the 10th round (201st overall) of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Woods played 13 seasons of professional hockey, including 10 in the ECHL and was a player/assistant coach with Mississippi from 1998-2001. He was a member of the 1999 Kelly Cup championship team that was coached by Boudreau.

Bob and his wife, Mary Sue, have two sons, Brendan (21) and Colin (18). Brendan, who was selected by Carolina in the fifth round (129th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, signed a three-year entry level contract with the Hurricanes on Apr. 10, 2013. He played two seasons with the University of Wisconsin from 2011-13, scoring 10-12=22 points with 83 PIM in 75 games. Colin also plays hockey, and was a member of the AAA midget OC Blades in 2012-13.